A national campaign to mainstream the issue of HIV/AIDS around the idea of Red Ribbon Express train was developed by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF), NACO and NYKS in 2004. The broad objectives of the RRE are to provide communication and a service package to rural population and reach un-reached areas in rural areas. The RRE is comprehensive multi-sectoral, multi-media, multi-theme and unique campaign ever in the area of HIV/AIDS communication.

The Concept

The concept is based on the experience of the Lifeline express launched by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, which provides health care services to rural population round the year. The concept has however been further developed into a broad based multi-media and multi-level mass mobilization campaign in the country to make it a holistic and comprehensive campaign to mobilise public opinion to fight against HIV/AIDS. The broad objectives are:

Objective 1: By 2008, RRE will leas to increase in levels of accurate knowledge about HIV/AIDS, build an enabling environment (from open dialogue) which results in people health seeking services and information required to promote safe behaviour.

Objective 2: By 2008, RRE will contribute to strengthen district and village level partnership of all relevant stakeholders. It is envisaged that during its one year run the RRE will work towards achieving these two objectives and the following goals:

• Break the Silence around HIV/AIDS.
• Initiate Behaviour change through Communication.
• Link with services.
• Address youth and feminisation of the epidemic.

Partners

The NACO, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, Indian Railways, UNICEF and State AIDS Control Societies (SACS) are the major partners. Many Government Ministries / Departments such as Rural development, Panchayati Raj, Youth affairs and sports, Women and Child development, Education department, Information and Broadcasting and Urban development may play a crucial role in reaching the target audience. The groups such a women SHGs, representatives of PRI's, urban local bodies, youth living in urban slums, anganwadi workers, village development officers, educational institutions, student community etc. may be reached through these Departments

Duration of Campaign

The activities will be for a period of one year excluding the preparatory phase. About 180 major railway stations/halting points will be covered through this campaign. This special train will be flagged off from New Delhi and traverse India in a Bharat Parikrama pattern. All 180 stations have been categorized into three groups A, B, and C where RRE will halt for one, two or three days respectively. The RRE will cover 43,200 village communities and reach out to crores of population across the country in urban and rural areas.

Areas of Coverage

• Train halting points/stations- 180
• Areas (villages and towns) around halting points,
• Other rural and urban areas in the district.

Youth groups, women/women self help group, adolescent/student community, all other segments of population urban slum dwellers, farmers etc.

Nature of Activities

• Awareness/sensitization activities through IEC/BCC strategies,
• Advocacy related activities for opinion leaders,
• Training activities for the service providers/facilitators/programme implementers/NGOs
• Condom promotional activities for both general and targeted population,
• Services such as counseling, testing, treatment, ART, PPTCT, drop in etc.

The Railway ministry has provided one train comprising seven coaches for refurbishment. All the coaches have been moved to yard at Chennai. RRE will start its yearlong journey from New Delhi on Worlds AIDS Day i.e. 01st of December 2007.

As per the decisions taken recently, the utilization of coaches will be on the following lines:

1. Exhibition coach I (display of educational material)
2. Exhibition coach II (display of educational material)
3. Exhibition coach III (display of educational material)
4. Conference and Auditorium coach
5. Counselling, & Medical Services coach
6. Administrative and Kitchen coach
7. RRE Cultural Performers sleeper coach

Project Structure

1. National level:
   • Advisory committee at national level,
   • Core coordination group at NACO/Command center at NACO/Implementation cell at NYKS.
2. State level:
   • RRE Coordinating Committee at state level.
3. District Level:
   • District AIDS AdvisoryCommittee - as coordination body
   • RRE Core Group

Activities

1. Activities in Coach and at station
   1. Activities at Halting point/Railway Station in the Rail coaches and at the platform.
   2. IEC, BCC, training, counseling, testing, medical support, dissemination of information on services are the major activities.
   3. The areas falling with in 10-20 km radius of station also will be covered under this programme.

   These activities at halting points will be coordinated by RRE project team of NACO with the involvement of SACS, NYKS and Railways. The NYKS will provide volunteers, performers to travel in coaches with the sets of cycles. SACS will involve partner organizations in providing counselors, doctors, and trainers. NYKS and SACS will provide command center team to coordinate the activities in train.

   The station wise activity chart (Officer in-charge, pre-arrival activities, media build-up, community mobilization, identification of persons to be trained, logistics arrangements, tie up with district administration/local body etc.) will be prepared by team of officials from SACS, NYKS and the District administration.
   
   

2. Activities at the areas around stations
   
   1. Activities through the Red Ribbon cultural performers.
   2. IEC, sensitization, advocacy, Focus group discussions, Street plays, cultural performances, rallies are the important activities covered under this in the district, mainly the areas falling within the radius of 15-45 Km.
   3. The objective is to reach the un-reached in terms of awareness on HIV/AIDS with key messages and information on existing services.

      NYKS will be overall in-charge of the activities in the areas around stations. The community mobilization, PRI sensitization, training, youth melas, folk activities, dissemination of information etc will be implemented by NYKS through the trained volunteers, staff, and performers. The training, orientation and the sensitization workshops, seminars would be organized for PRIs members; Youth club leaders, local CBOs and NGOs, local media persons, volunteers and cultural performers. The selection of the participants and training scheduled for the same have been finalized. The district wise micro activity chart will be finalized by NYKS in consultation with the team of SACS/RRE team of NACO

   
   
   
3. Activities in the other un-reached areas
   
   1. Activities in the interior parts of the district other than those not covered under prong one and prong two.
   2. IEC, folk performers, counseling, condom promotion are the activities planned under this prong.
   3. The activities will be implemented by the district administration.

   These activities will be implemented by the SACS in collaboration with the district administration. The local NGOs, CBOs, Networks will be involved in awareness campaign. The development partners, PRIs, IMA, elected representatives will be roped in to enhance the reach in rural areas and other uncovered areas. The district administration and SACS with the support of RRE team will formulate area specific, multi-media based general intervention strategy o cover many areas in the district. The team of SACS in consultation with the district administration will prepare the district wise activity chart.
   

Involving all Youth groups in the Campaign

NSS, NSV, NYS, NCC, Scouts and Guides, Red Cross, youth wings of political parties, faith based organizations and CBOs such as Lions and rotary clubs.

Follow up activities

Exit interviews, Focus Group Discussions, filling up of forms, question-answers sessions; discussions with Panchayats will be held immediately after the programmes.

Red Ribbon Clubs and Red Ribbon Alliances will be formed with facilitation from SACS and Youth Clubs.

Communication and media plan

The RRE is a mega mass communication event that will cover 1 Crore People across the length and breadth of India, especially in the rural hinterland, in a period of 360 days. Each of these 360 days will see potential events at the local, state and national level. The RRE is both a communication challenge and an unprecedented opportunity to integrate mass media, IPC, public mobilization and local media and cultural formats into a powerful campaign in the nation's battle to defeat HIV/AIDS.

The RRE campaign hopes to accomplish enhanced knowledge and information levels of young people and women on HIV/AIDS with a view to reducing their vulnerabilities, to expose all those who are at risk to HIV prevention messages which can lead to sustained healthy and safe behavior, to make people aware of services which are available in their vicinity and to dispel myths which lead to stigma and discrimination. Interest levels have to be built up, a constructive dialogue generated and a conviction to follow guidelines in personal and familial interest embedded in the public consciousness through the entire communication campaign.

At each of the 180 halts, the RRE will directly mobilize a population of approximately 15 thousand per day, which would represent people across socio-economic, religious and cultural groups and reach about 28 thousand people per day with the messages. A mobilization of this scale and impact is in itself a national event and one, which attracts media attention, generated public participation and galvanizes the public and private delivery mechanisms. Close coordination with State AIDS Control Societies would be necessary to understand the local/regional dynamics. Communication planning therefore requires a multi-pronged approach, which encompasses the following:

1. Utilize skills in mass media planning, development and execution by developing a creative strategy, which incorporates region specific components, which reached out to specific target groups. To develop innovative conceptualization and delivery of messages in compelling formats for films, radio, documentaries, television and any other effective mass media tool, which helps us, reach our target audience.
   
   
2. Build a powerful Public Relation strategy which results in effective positioning, brand building, enhanced non paid media coverage and a media build up which sustains itself throughout the duration of the RRE. This should help generate curiosity and interest at the local/regional level as also created a strong national image. A detailed pre-launch and on ground activity plan would need to be highlighted in the media planning, management and execution strategy. Curtain raisers, special features, local spaces would provide the build up and a detailed plan worked out to ensure coverage through out the year. Have senitised journalists and photographers join the RRE at different states of its journey and continuously feed national level media on news worthy stories.
   
   
3. Local mobilization to generate a massive people's participation in the campaign across cities, villages, towns and districts, which will ultimately determine the success of the RRE. A series of events would need to be planned and managed in the villages and at the stations in order to get people to visit the stations. Involve local celebrities, festivals and other events to pull in crowds.
   
   
4. Communication Outreach to maximize impact amongst critical "unreached" and media dark locations through communication activists/volunteers/folk artists who would be trained and equipped with material which will aid the process keeping local language and traditions in mind.
   

Each of four above mentioned activities is a complete campaign in itself and requires diverse skills in communication, be it advertising, public relations, media management, event management or human resource management. The need is to have a strategy which integrates all these competencies into a unified communication strategy in a cohesive and clear manner, ultimately feeding into building the RRE as a mass awareness and advocacy vehicle which reaches the masses, which transmits the relevant messages and which ensures that there is a strong recall value.